The Deformity
by Rillian
Summary: A member of the Laguz Crows that lives more like a human than a Crow, is taken to the borders of their territory by her brother. There, everything she's worked to hide is dragged out into the light.
1. Prologue

Please note that I don't own any of the Fire Emblem characters, countries, or plots, as much as I'd like to. Anyway, here goes.

**Prologue**

Naesala. That name, the name of the Laguz Crow King, was not one to say idly. The name of the one who had slaughtered sea faring Beorc humans out of spite and greed was not one to be taken lightly. Just as the king before him, and the king before him, Naesala had fought his way up through the ranks of Laguz royalty, until he alone remained at the top. The blue haired crow king's power was said to rival that of the Herons; at least, when they were still alive.

Naesala. It was the very name that had made the Beorc humans slam their shutters and lock their doors, the name that had long since plagued the other Laguz tribes with fear of the power that rivaled their own kings'. Naesala was feared even in his own court. Perhaps especially there; those close to him had to make sure they were in his favor. Not many were however, since Naesala didn't judge the Laguz nobles by their ability to compliment him on his accomplishments, but by their ability to fight. Thus, most noble children were raised to join the military if Naesala desired. Those who failed at this were weeded out.

Naesala. The name of the one who had earned the once respected Crows the title 'pirates'. Now the tribe of Laguz preyed on human ships that came within the range of their island territory. They never strayed beyond it far however, at least, none of the ordinary Crows did. Naesala himself had no fear of the Laguz Hawk or Dragon kings. Not even the king of the beasts' roar could shake him. Naesala loved this kind of power, and would do almost anything to keep it, even if that ment joining sides with some of the humans in their war of the North. If he played his cards right, it would benefit his tribe more than the humans who won.

In spite of his constant observations and thought, Naesala might find a small snag that would likely unravel his entire being, were it not taken care of. This snag took the form of a fledgling of his own tribe, though neither of them knew it yet.


	2. Amythest

Thanks to everyone who gave me a review. Constructive criticism is encouraged, just don't make me feel stupid hm? Anyway, I'm still tyring to find a nice chapter length, and I don't think this is it. Tis to long. I'm going away for a bit so the next update will be in about a week, give or take a few days.

**Amythest**

In the many skirmishes among the military students, it was either fight or flight, and risk ridicule later. This was what a young member of the tribe named Amythest had learned. Flight; that was what she had chosen. It would not go well for her later if one of the masters found she'd run… The young Laguz moved swiftly through the halls of the palace, her sandaled feet making quiet shuffling sounds. Twin black, feathered wings produced from her back seemed the only mark of her tribe, however. The first reason she didn't seem like a Crow Laguz was because she was running. The Crows NEVER ran, they always flew in such a way that their luxurious raven wings could be seen. They also chose to dress in darker colors, ones that closely matched their wings. The white marble of the palace hall made them stand out, since most chose to wear dark greys and blacks. Amythest on the other hand, was currently clothed in an almost blinding shade of pink. The dress ran below her feet; since the Crows didn't run, why bother wearing things that wouldn't restrict the movement of your feet? Granted, their clothes were extravagant, but slightly impractical.

Amythest's pale hand snaked up to the throbbing stitch in her side, and she finally made it to her destination. The hall she had been running in had many large, oak doors that lead to the private chambers of the nobles. Amythest leaned against one, and stood there panting for a moment. Finally she let go of her side and tried to get her mussed, dark green hair into some sort of order by finger combing it. At least her hair took after her tribe's traits, most of the Crows were dark haired. Amythest shook the wrinkles of her flamboyant dress out, then turned to face the door. Her purple gaze, which had earned her her name, scanned the ornately carved face of the door. She'd seen in so many times that she's likely know it in an instant with her eyes closed. Amythest knocked twice, then entered the room.

Amythest was greeted by a long red carpet, that moved it's way up to the small throne at the opposite end of the room like a river of the blood Naesala had spilled. A man hovered on his tribe's namesake wings, not far from the throne. He was bent over a table covered in maps of the continent, seeming to study them. His back was turned to her, but Amythest knew him almost as well as he knew her. Without looking up, the man said, "Aren't you supposed to be practicing?" Amythest gave a slight nod at that, and sighed quietly as the man turned to look at her.

"You've been running," her brother's accusation came. As if on cue, Amythest flexed her wings, then rose to hover a few inches off the ground. Amythest shifted uncomfortably under her brother's keen blue gaze, the gaze that was so much like Naesala's. His hair was as black as his wings, though there were several odd blue streaks running through it. "Well?" he demanded.

"Yes…" Amythest said meekly as she flew over to him.

"And you've gotten into a fight," her brother added with a sigh, as he saw the slowly bleeding split lip Amythest had gained not to long ago. Amythest only nodded again. The man produced a handkerchief and wiped away the blood, then gave it to Amythest to hold to her lip.

"I won't ask about the fight, that's your business if you want to tell me," he said.

"It wasn't my fault Cree, it was them again… They're always picking on me…" Amythest grumbled, her voice slightly muffled as she spoke around the handkerchief.

"You're not supposed to complain about all that you know," Cree responded with a small sigh. Amythest nodded in response.

"At any rate, why were you running?" he asked next.

"Errrrr…."

"Spit it out….." Cree prompted.

"I like it," Amythest mumbled. Cree shook his head and replied, "You KNOW you're not supposed to, what if someone saw you? You'd be the death of us all, especially if word reached Naesala's (may-he-live-forever) ears!"

"Sorry," Amythest said meekly.

"Sorry's not enough you know. You should be punished," Cree said, frowning slightly. Amythest looked pleadingly up at Cree, not because he was taller, but because he was hovering higher than she. Cree caught the look and scowled down at his sister. She was very good at a vital skill needed among nobles to keep alive: sucking up to those who rank above you.

"Well, we can think about that later I suppose. Right now, you should come with me," Cree said in a much more brisk tone, as though this hadn't happened. It was all Amythest could do from clapping her hands gleefully and muttering proudly to herself…

"Where are we going?" she asked her brother.

"To our territory's borders. All the young ones are supposed to help patrol the borders, it's one of their first tasks. If you don't know what our borders are you won't know what to patrol," Cree said with a simple shrug. Amythest gave an eager nod, it wasn't often she could get away from the palace, much less the training grounds….

"But you're not coming dressed like that. Someone would see you from miles off, especially those cursed Hawks with their eyes…" Cree said shortly. Amythes gave another nod, and sprang into a door on one side of the throne to her room. Cree's room was past a door on the other side, this small main hall of their quarters were used mainly for official purposes. Cree wasn't long in getting a cloak, the weather had turned chilly of late. It took Amythest a good deal longer to change into a dark shaded dress. The dress wasn't black or grey however; there was still a mischievous bit of color here and there. Cree glanced over as she exited her room, and an amused smile that threatened to take over his mouth was quickly stifled.

"Come, there's plenty of time before dark, and I plan to use it," Cree said sternly. Amythest grinned at him, knowing him well enough to see that he was amused. Cree flew from the room in a way that made his cloak billow out behind him; another trick most Crows knew. The crows were very vain, but very, very violent. Amythest seemed to be the exception here, as she was in many cases. She knew well enough that if she tried her brother's flourish, she'd end up tangled. Her exit was much simpler than Cree's, but it accomplished the same thing. Soon the two were flying towards the North Eastern border of the Crow's territory.


	3. Revealed

Whooooooooeeeee…. It's been ages. Sorry this is so incredibly late…. But I have an excuse!

My story chapters are saved to my computer's Microsoft Word. BUT my computer went down and no longer connects to the internet properly, hence my inability to email it to myself or post it. So now I'm using my sister's computer in the hopes that it won't crash as well…

Again, many apologies.

**Revealed**

Glorious; that was the only way to describe the day outside the white marble castle's walls. The wind rushed through the trees, copying the sound of the distant surf. The greenery that was laid out in a picturesque fashion below Cree and Amythest as they flew was dappled by the mellow light of the sun. The sun on the leaves was overcast by the outline of Cree and Amythest's wings as they traveled, and though it seemed an abomination against the sun it was almost relaxing the way their shadows dipped and rose with the level of the leaves.

The white marble castle the siblings had left behind was practically glowing with the late afternoon's light; every surface, curved, flat, or carved with ancient runes was lit up majestically. The castle being white was another symbol of the Crows' vanity; their dark colors stood out against the walls as they walked, and the floor was littered with glossy feathers. The castle itself stood out from it's dark green surroundings, a display of the Crows' wealth, ill gained or not.

As soon as the crystalline sea came into view, Cree shifted into his animal form. The feathers of his wings spread across his back, then his arms and legs. His arms then shrank into his body, and his legs shrank and shifted to the claws of a bird. A vicious beak formed from his face and his transformation finished.

"Change now," he ordered Amythest. The Crows could understand each other's speech no matter what form they were in. While Cree used a series of caws and body language to convey his point, Amythest still used Beorc speech.

"Err…. Do I have to?" she asked meekly.

"Yes…." Cree said impatiently, and he stopped to hovered and look at her just above the canopy of leaves.

"I… Er…." Amythest spluttered incoherently.

"Amythest, what's wrong?" Cree asked curiously, now aware that something was amiss.

"I can't change. I don't have a second form," Amythest said cautiously, in case anyone else was about.

"This is a poor joke."

"It's not a joke. That's why I'm always picked on, everyone thinks I'm just to scared or won't do it," Amythest muttered.

"Let's land before I fall out of the sky," Cree said clearly, and he quickly did so. Amythest followed, her hands clasped behind her back and her face a mask of shame.

Once positioned on the ground, Cree just looked up silently, as though asking for an explanation.

"I don't know why I can't," Amythest said in reply to this silent interrogation. Her dark green feathered wings were clamped closely against her back, a sign of immense frustration.

"Does anyone know other than me?" Cree asked after a long pause.

"No," Amythest answered truthfully. "You aren't going to tell Naesala (may-he-live-forever) are you?"

"Of course not, you're my sister," Cree retorted, almost offended that she had asked.

"Thank goodness, I don't think I could bear word of this specimen getting out," a new voice was heard gleefully saying.

Amythest and Cree turned to see several archers with arrows on their bowstrings and rather fat, unimposing man standing near them. They'd been so deep in their current problem they hadn't noticed them. The unimpressive man seemed to have more of his red hair on his upper lip than on his head, and was dressed in the robes of a priest.

"No no no my boy, you make another move and my archers will shoot you out of the air," the man tsked at Cree, who had started to spread his wings for flight. Amythest's eyes were about the only thing that betrayed her alarm, she remained in the same position as she had been when she was talking to Cree.


	4. Reuben

Heh, so sorry for the infrequent updates. My life is… Eh…..

Disorganized.

Aaaaaanyway, here goes. Not much to say this time. Thanks to all for reviews.

Pssssssst, and Naesala's gonna come in next chapter.

**Reuben**

It didn't take long for Amythest to find herself being moved through the undergrowth, surrounded by archers. They didn't seem to mind slowing when she tripped over a length of her dress, but neither did they help. Amythest wished the red haired man would _just shut up_ for once, she was in no mood to be told that Cree wouldn't be harmed by the archer left guarding him as long as he didn't follow. "Cree could take out that silly 'ol archer any day," Amythest muttered. The man appeared not to have heard, or was simply ignoring her as he talked.

Amythest was struck by the silence that seemed to elude her captor as they exited the forest and walked out onto a sparsely sanded beach. The man must have seen her surprised expression when she saw his ship, then said, "Well you didn't think we flew here did you?"

Amythest had no answer for that…

"Now I'll be brief with this, as I'm tired of telling every Laguz that comes into my possession this," he started. Amythest visibly bristled at the word 'possession', but he didn't seem to mind.

"Alright. While you're aboard the ship you'll sleep in a cabin with another Laguz, as I doubt you'd be pleased with a Beorc room mate. This is temporary, since we have limited space at the moment. When we get to Begnion you'll have a room of your own," the man went on. Amythest opened her mouth to ask a question, but the man seemed to brush her off without saying anything, and Amythest didn't get a chance to ask as a wood plank descended from the small ship. The man indicated to the plank, and the archers moved Amythest up to the deck. They then seemed to know what the man wanted before he asked, and with what seemed like practiced movements, nudged Amythest through a door and closed it behind her. A lock clicked shut after the door closed, and Amythest blinked in the darkness of the room.

When her eyes had adjusted, Amythest walked over to one of the two beds in the room and sat down, thinking she should be crying, or cursing the man, or SOMETHING other that sitting there looking like a fool in shock.

"Don't worry, I did the same thing," a voice came from some forsaken corner of the small room. Amythest looked up in alarm, and relaxed slightly as a boy that looked about a year or two older than she stepped out from behind the other bed. Though he had no weapon, his stare probably would have been enough to slit anyone's throat had it any physical force.

"Don't worry about that either," the boy ordered when he caught Amythest gawking at his reddish eyes. They seemed to shift to red when he spoke, but were otherwise a dark brown color. The change-eyed boy grinned at Amythest when she figured out a simple fact; when he spoke, his mouth didn't move.

"It's all mind speech, you'll get used to it. Dear old Oliver seems to have taken a liking to Laguz with particular… Well, frankly he's got a habit of picking up people who have things that don't work properly, and in my case it's my voice," he 'said'.

"Er….. So that's his name," Amythest said blandly.

"Mmhmm. Nasty piece of work isn't he?" the boy replied, a frown appearing on his mouth.

"Yeah. Where are we going?" Amythest asked.

"Begnion I think, it's where he lives," was the brief reply.

"Er…. But that's Beorc territory," Amythest muttered worriedly.

"Duh, the man himself is a Beorc," the boy retorted.

"Soooo…. Who are you?" Amythest asked finally.

"Reuben."

"Can we get out of here? My brother's back on the island an-" Amythest started, but Reuben cut her off.

"Of course not, didn't you hear the door lock?" Reuben retorted.

"Yes but you're-"

"Incapable of breaking the door down."

"Um… What sort of Laguz are you anyway? I can't see in the dark…" Amythest said, trailing off.

"Oh. That. I'm from the dragon tribe," Reuben said with a shrug.

"Crows for me. Naesala (may-he-live-forever) will get us out. He wouldn't stand for this," Amythest said with a confident nod.

"HA! You're counting on Naesala for this? Last I heard he was going to sell out some poor Laguz to Oliver," Reuben said with a dry laugh.

"Hey, shouldn't you say may he live forever?" Amythest asked, slightly aghast.

"Why? The man's just the filthy crow king," Reuben said.

". . . . . " That was the second time Amythest was rendered speechless that day. She'd just assumed everyone respected Naesala, if only for his strength.

"Things are different out here. They're even stranger in Begnion. You'll get used to it or die trying, and I hope for the former," Reuben said with a shrug.

"I want to go home," Amythest said, as soon as all that was happening hit home and she realized she might never see it again.

"To bad," Reuben said with another shrug. It seemed he had quite a mean streak in him. Amythest shot him a slightly teary eyed look, and Reuben drew a breath and exhaled it slowly as he ran his fingers though black hair that should have been washed a few days ago.

"Sorry," he said finally, but Amythest had already curled on one of the beds and begun to cry.


End file.
